Monday, 1 November 2010

Sephora Friends & Family Haul: Tokidoki & Stila

My Sephora Friends & Family haul just arrived courtesy of a friend in the US! Sephora's 20% Friends & Family discount comes only once a year so it was a good time to do some shopping, especially for some of the new holiday collections. I picked up mainly the new items from Tokidoki. I've been eyeing this Pittura Brush Set for quite awhile now but at US$35, it seemed too pricey, especially since I don't really need any more brushes. But with the FF2010 discount, I saved quite a few bucks off it! The bristles feel very silky, similar to the Body Shop's brushes, and have a decent firmness. The brush set is made in China. Next are the new pair of Cromatico palettes in Adieu and Mozzarella (US$25 each). I still think that the packaging is too awkwardly bulky but I really liked the shade combinations in Adieu and Mozzarella as well as the two character charms. You can read my earlier review of the Cromatica palette in Diamante here.Fortunately, both palettes seem to be free of the chunky glitter bits that tend to fall out all over. The individual eyeshadow pans are 1.5g each, which is the same as a MAC single eyeshadow so these are pretty good value considering the price. The palettes are made in the USA. The palettes even have differently shaded ferrules and applicator wands to match the eyeshadows. Mozzarella (on the right) is still my favourite Tokidoki character! The pièce de résistance: the Robbery Palette (US$49) which supposedly has a value of US$140 and comes with a magnet. For the past few years, I usually invest in the Tarte holiday blockbuster palettes but this year, I decided to forego the Tarte palette in favour of the Robbery Palette which has much more interesting shades (with mostly a metallic finish) and unique packaging. Plus, the makeup in the Robbery Palette is made in the USA, unlike the Tarte blockbuster palettes which are made in China. The tin and the magnet are made in China. Nestled inside are three separate palettes, each containing four powder eyeshadows (4x0.8g/0.02oz) and a blush (4.8g/0.16oz). There is also a small mirror under the lid. Lift out the palettes and you will discover the "jailed" characters! The backs of the three palettes actually join up to form a larger scene. Rapina looks set to be my favourite palette of the three, thanks to the smoky mysterious green shades! Arlecchino looks interesting too. Wonder why they named the electric lime shade Soya?! The third palette is Royal Pride. Not really my type of shades but should be workable. Sephora Singapore has been hinting on their Facebook page that the Tokidoki makeup line will be debuting in Singapore soon, so do keep track of their Facebook page if you are interested in the line. The insert that holds the palettes can be lifted out. I'll probably use this as an accessories box in the future. And finally, the Stila Trendsetting in Tokyo palette (US$10). This is the third palette in the series of five. The Escentials boutique in Tangs Orchard will be bringing in the Travel Palettes soon. They are expected to retail at S$20 each. If only every week could start as wonderfully as this one!

If the tokidoki line really come to Sephora Singapore one day, what items would you strongly recommend and what would you discourage to buy? After reading this post, all seems interesting >.< but I dont want to spend too much on one brand of cosmetics.

hi Bakupaku,I've read the you can order through Amazon.com, which has Sephora as one of its retail partners. Perhaps you can explore that?

hi Tsukitakarai,I think the accessories from the Tokidoki line are worth getting whereas the makeup tends to be hit and miss. The eyeshadow palettes are well pigmented but I don't like the shades that have glitter. I'm hoping that Sephora Singapore will bring in the makeup tools like hair dryer/straighteners etc.

The packaging of these Tokidoki sets really tempts me into buying 'em ! The bright colors and cute characters definitely brighten up one's day ! Thanks Iris, for informing us that this makeup line will be available in S'pore soon (;

Love your haul! I ordered from Sephora to make use of the F&F and am waiting for my order to come in. I got the stila too, as well as their holiday lip gloss set and sephora's favourite basic makeup kit :)

Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to the Stila palette. Since it's selling at SGD20, I'm sure it is going to be popular. I hope my Tangs Lifestyle Card is still valid as I had not been shopping at Tangs for more than a year.

Sigh I totally regret not getting the Mozzarella palette. I had it in my shopping cart, but at the last minute decided to remove it. Maybe if I do another F&F haul.. hrmmm.. (schemes) Can't wait to see you do a look with it. ^^

Hi Haru, just want to let you know Sephora will be having it's beauty bazaar @suntec room 301/302 from 4-6 Nov, while there will be a cosmetic sale with brands such as YSL, Benefit, Stila, Too Faced, Urban Decay @suntec room 202 from 5-7 Nov. I'll be popping by on the 5th :)

fantastic haul, haru! congrats on the great buys! i adore the tokidoki and stila travel palettes too - the robbery palette looks lovely.

a friend recently bought me several sephora-tokidoki lipgloss, the packaging is uber cute (each with a tokidoki character on to applicator), but the gloss is really clear, not much pigmentation to them.

the stila travel palettes are the BEST. unbelievable prices, good quality products, adorable chic packaging. can't wait for Tangs to carry them, i'm just short of one to complete the collection :)